Dealing
by Bowles
Summary: It's always the survivors that pay the heaviest price.  DH spoilers.


Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter. Also, Book 7 spoilers ahead. You've been warned.

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Dealing  
A Harry Potter fanfic by Bowles 

_-_

_One joy shatters a hundred griefs. - Chinese Proverb_

-

It was a summer's afternoon, but the wind blew strong and cold, and the sky was overcast with dull gray clouds. Many might have been spooked in her present position, but graveyards did not scare her. She'd had plenty of practice burying her friends and loved ones, and even those that were not so loved. In fact, she felt quite at home in graveyards, rather. No matter where she went or what she did there, she was always surrounded by family.

The graveyard in Godric's Hollow was no different, although it was not littered with the tombstones of Blacks upon Blacks as was the one only several miles from her home. But now, _now_, she was at home, with everyone she loved. Ted. Dora. Remus. Sirius. All in a row, all right next to each other.

Andromeda did not know when the thought to bury them at Godric's Hollow had occurred to her – sometime after their funeral and original burial but before one of the other funerals. Actually, during one of the funerals. It had occurred to her whilst people were paying their respects to one Fred Weasley, come to think of it. She'd seen him, the boy – the one Remus and Sirius had spoken of incessantly, the one who would (and did) defeat the Dark Lord, the one that Remus and Sirius had loved with all of their hearts – and remembered his parents, remembered how Remus and Sirius had loved them as well. It would not do to have them in some other graveyard full of Blacks and Malfoys and even the occasional Weasley or Longbottom. Sirius, she knew, would have been appalled at the idea. No, they must be moved to a different place, and if Sirius would be moved, Remus would as well, and if Remus would be moved, Dora would as well, and if Dora moved, there was no way in hell Ted wasn't going with her. That was for certain. She could just imagine Ted's glare if she had said anything otherwise.

Perhaps it was lucky that she had practice with the rite of burial and that she was already well-acquainted with death, as anyone else might have found the moving of their family members' corpses disturbing and heartbreaking. Which is not to say that she didn't. She did. But she knew the routine well. A disillusionment charm here, a portkey there – it was best to stay focused, not to get weepy. There would be time for tears later.

But as she looked at their graves after the burial, she found that that time was not now. There were no tears she could shed that could bring them back, or express her love for them, or even do them the slightest bit of justice. No, she'd learned long ago that tears were useless. Bella had taught her that. Of course, in the end it hadn't really done Bella any good, really. But Andromeda did not think about this. She, for one, wasn't going to worry about the death of Bellatrix Lestrange. Bella had lost that honor long ago.

The bundle in her arms stirred, and she looked down at it, a bit startled. Teddy did not wake, however. After he was born they had all found out he was a very peaceful baby, not at all like Dora had been. He had gotten that from his father. She smiled. She had searched for days for the meanings of their deaths, to come to grips, to just understand. And then she had looked at him and realized that it had all been worth it. They wouldn't have changed a thing, and she wouldn't, either. They'd died for their son, he for his grandson, so that Teddy he would live in a world unlike the one they had lived in, and they had succeeded.

That was the meaning. They had succeeded.

She brushed aside a wisp of hair from Teddy's forehead and silently thanked God for Harry Potter.

She looked at the graves for some time before even doing so much as twitching again. They were perfect. Right next to Lily and James. And she'd thought she'd spotted a Dumbledore somewhere, although really that didn't surprise her. Dumbledore's reach knew no limits, even in death.

She read them, one by one, left to right. They were all on the same large tombstone, together in marble. She could do that much for them, at least.

_Theodore Franklin Tonks. 1955-1998. Husband, father, fighter.._

_Nymphadora Druella Lupin. 1973-1998. Daughter, mother, hero._

_Remus John Lupin. 1960-1998. Father, friend, man._

_Sirius Nigellus Black. 1960-1998. Guardian, warrior, godfather._

And then, below their names:

_For the brave at heart life is but a fleeting lover, death an old friend._

Her eyes drifted to the spot right above that last inscription of their own accord. There was room for one more name. But it would not be filled for a while. There would be time for that, when the last name would be inscribed and she would finally be going home at the end of a very long and tumultuous day.

Teddy stirred again, and Andromeda knew it was time to go. She gave Godric's Hollow one last good look, her eyes sweeping over the six graves all in a row, before grabbing Teddy tight and Disapparating. She did not need to listen to know that the graveyard remained quiet.

-

The house felt empty. It had for over a week now, ever since those two idiots had run off to Hogwarts to save the world and all. Without Ted she had felt suffocated; without Dora and Remus she no longer felt much at all. She very much wanted to sleep a dreamless sleep and never think of them again, but every time she thought of this Teddy would giggle or burp and she would be overcome with a surge of emotion that picked her spirits up and kept them up for the rest of the day. She didn't give a damn about anything else anymore. Teddy was Dora's, her Dora's, and she'd be there for him until the Reaper himself decided to come and get her. And even then she fully intended on giving good Mister Reaper a few battle scars before she went.

She had seen Narcissa twice since the Dark Lord's downfall, once at the funeral. Narcissa had said nothing. She had come up to Andromeda, hugged her briefly, and kissed her on the cheek. Andromeda wanted to say something, but she couldn't, and Narcissa understood. Just as suddenly as she had come she had gone, and Andromeda was left to other sympathizers.

The second time had been in Diagon Alley the day after she'd brought the graves to Godric's Hollow. They'd passed each other, and Andromeda could barely get out a greeting.

"Hello," she finally said. Narcissa stared back at her with those pale eyes, always searching for something, and Andromeda had never known – even as a child she hadn't known – what.

"Hello, Andy." Narcissa's tone was civil, which was in itself a miracle. "I'm sorry about your daughter and her husband. We all are."

"Oh." She paused and thought of Lucius, trying hard not to let her doubt show. "Thanks."

"It's the least we can do," Narcissa replied. She continued her stare, and if Andromeda hadn't been used to it by thirteen years living together, it would've unsettled her. "How is your grandson? I've heard Potter is his godfather."

"He's doing well. And yes, Harry is the godfather. That was Remus's decision." To her surprise, Narcissa betrayed no emotion at this, not even a twinge of a smirk.

"That's good," Narcissa finally said. "Potter… Potter is a good boy. He will be a good godfather."

This utterly shocked Andromeda, and she did her best not to splutter too much. "Oh – really? I didn't know you were fond of him."

"I wasn't. He saved Draco twice at Hogwarts, though," Narcissa explained simply. "He defeated the Dark Lord. He deserves, at the very least, our mutual respect."

"Oh. Yes, he does."

Narcissa looked away for a moment, and Andromeda found that she actually missed the relentless gaze of her sister. Something was familiarly comforting about it. "I should be going. Lucius and Draco are expecting me home soon."

"Yes," Andromeda agreed, emotionless. "You should go."

Narcissa made a brief movement, but she hesitated for a moment, and glanced back to her sister.

"Andy, I would like to come over later in the week, if you don't mind," she said suddenly. "I realize this is a difficult time for you, and things have also been difficult between us, but we are sisters. We've both lost enough. I – I would like to be there with you. We Blacks should stick together."

"I'm not a Black. I'm a Tonks."

"Yes," Narcissa agreed, more coldly, "and I am a Malfoy. I see that you are –"

"That doesn't mean I wouldn't like your company," Andromeda stated plainly. "In fact, I'd quite like it. I think Teddy would like to meet you, and vice versa. We are sisters, after all."

Narcissa stood still before finally nodding. "Yes, we are." She looked away again. "I – I will see you, then. Later on in the week. I'll drop by."

"Good," Andromeda said, and it felt genuine and real when she said it. "I look forward to it."

This was the end of their conversation – Narcissa rarely bothered with goodbyes that could go unspoken. A flash of blonde hair and she was gone, and Andromeda was alone in the crowded street, although she felt a bit more complete than she had only a few minutes before. She turned away and continued down Diagon Alley, and her sister's face and words filled her mind for the rest of the day.

The next morning she had been preparing breakfast when there was a loud roar like that of a dive-bombing dragon and the walls began to shake ever so slightly. Teddy let out a soft moan, and Andromeda felt her hand shoot to her wand instinctively. She checked several protective charms she'd placed around her grandson before making her way to the front door. By this time the roar had stopped, but her wand remained gripped tightly in her hand.

A knock at the door. She waited a second before calling out. "Who is it?"

"Harry Potter," replied a voice from the other side of the door. As if sensing her thoughts, he continued on. "I arrived at your house with Hagrid almost a year ago and took a Portkey from here to the Burrow. I accidentally mistook you for your sister and I think you dislike me somewhat because of it."

Feeling much more secure, she opened the door and found herself face to face with the bespectacled teenager whose face was currently on every newspaper across the wizarding world. "I'll admit I didn't like your yelling much, but don't be silly, boy. I like you well enough."

"Oh. Good." Harry looked unsurely from her to the door. "Can I come in?"

"Of course," she replied. Her eyes drifted over his shoulder as he stepped over the threshold to a large mass and a glint of metal beneath it. "Is that Hagrid?"

"Yeah. He flew me over here. I didn't know where your house was, and I can't Apparate." For some reason this last fact was inherently amusing. The savior of the wizarding world conquered by simple Apparition. "Sorry about the lack of advance notice, but we tried Flooing you and couldn't get a hold of you. There are several of us here to see Teddy and all. And you," he hastily added, as if realizing the potential offensiveness of his words.

"It's no problem," she said honestly. "How many?"

"Er, let's see…" He began counting out each person on his fingers. "Me, Hagrid, Hermione, McGonagall, and I think Kingsley, as well. The Weasleys would come but they've got family over right now so they'll drop by later. Although Ron, Ginny, and George are thinking about Apparating over here anyways, but I really think they wouldn't want to incur the wrath of Mrs. Weasley."

Andromeda had heard what Molly Weasley had done to her sister and did not feel at all bitter towards the woman for it. She had protected her family. She had done what any mother would. "So I've heard."

"Yeah." He put his hands in his pockets and looked at Teddy's crib determinedly. "A load of other students wanted to come see Remus's son… everyone loved him, and they had heard all about Tonks from Ginny and Neville. But I thought… I thought that it would be best to see him in a smaller group first."

"Yes." She did not begrudge Harry for being a teenage boy and awkward with words: she understood his meaning, and she fully appreciated it. "Thank you. I wouldn't mind seeing them, though. Meeting them. Later on."

"I'll bring them by, but only the good ones," he replied. There was a fierce protectiveness in his voice that reminded her of Sirius, and she grinned. "I'm not going to bring anyone I don't trust over here. I promise."

"I'm sure you won't," she said, still smiling. "You seem to have taken to this godfather business very quickly."

"I learned from the best," he stated in a very matter-of-fact voice that was equal parts Sirius and Remus. "But I don't plan on causing as big a fuss as Sirius, Mrs. Tonks. I like the quiet life, me."

She laughed. "Yes, that's what they tell me. But please don't call me Mrs. Tonks, Harry. You make me feel old. You can call me Andromeda or Tonks or even a choice four letter word if you like, but please, not Mrs. Tonks."

"Er, sorry. Andromeda," he added, almost as an afterthought. There was suddenly a great creaking of floorboards, and they both looked to the doorway.

"Hagrid!"

"'Dromeda," replied Hagrid. He glanced at Teddy, and his eyes began to water over slightly. "That'll be 'im, won' it? Teddy?"

"Yes," she replied.

"Cute boy," Hagrid said in a wavering voice. "Gonna be a great wizard someday, he is. His paren's were great ones."

"The best," Harry agreed.

Teddy sneezed. "Well," she said, "you can come see him if you like. Be careful – he likes to pinch and squeeze." They both followed her over to the crib, Hagrid ducking his head low below the ceiling. "Be gentle, though. If my grandson gets bruised, I will be none too pleased."

They took this to mean that they were not to touch him, apparently, and she figured for Hagrid, at least, this would be for the best. Finally Harry mustered up the courage to reach into the crib and tickle him, and Teddy giggled.

"He looks just like them," Harry said. "Both of them. Remus's eyes…"

"Don't get too acquainted with his eye color. He's fond of changing it. But he always ends up looking just like both of them."

Hagrid blew his nose into a handkerchief noisily. "Merlin, he does look like the both of 'em, don' he? Remus… and Tonks…" He let out a constrained sob. "I'm sorry, Andy. I… I'm gonna go get some air."

Hagrid lumbered away, trying to hide his heaves and sniffles. She looked to Harry, who met her gaze and turned his to Teddy.

"Er… Mrs. To- Andromeda?" he said suddenly. "Just so you know, I'm really not sure what I'm supposed to do too much as a godfather. I mean, Sirius always looked after me and all, but I was a teenager then. I don't know what I'm supposed to do for a baby, or toddler, or anything like that."

"Just be there for him," she replied simply. "Be there while he grows up. I can raise him by myself – you just need to be there for him to turn to for guidance, someone he can trust. And if something should happen to me, I imagine you'll not have to raise him alone. I've heard you're quite close with Molly Weasley, and she's got more experience raising kids than anybody."

He looked like he was about to say something else, but there were loud noises outside, those of people talking. They both drifted to the front door and saw Kingsley Shacklebolt, Minerva McGonagall, and a girl with bushy hair – Hermione Granger, most likely – beginning to walk up the steps.

"Good morning, Andromeda," McGonagall said in one of the warmest voices she'd ever heard from the strict professor. "I hope Harry already told you that we were coming."

"Yes. Come in." They did so, and she nodded to the crib. "That's Teddy over there, if you want to see him."

"Oh, he's so small!" Granger squeaked excitably. Harry rolled his eyes behind her, and Andromeda smiled. "Look, Tonks's eyes…"

"He's already changed? They were Remus's only a minute ago."

Harry looked from Granger to herself as if just realizing something. "Andromeda, you've never met Hermione, have you? Well, Andromeda, this is Hermione Granger, my best friend. Hermione, this is Andromeda Tonks."

"Nice to meet you," Hermione said, extending her hand.

Andromeda took it with a healthy shake. "The same."

"You should probably get used to her, because if I'm godfather, she's pretty much the godmother, then," Harry continued. He looked a bit sheepish. "Hermione and Ron and I are… we're closely-knit. I… I want them to be involved, too. We all loved Remus and Tonks. I imagine Remus knew that they'd be part of it, too, when he made me godfather.'

"Yes, I think he did," Andromeda replied. She was liking Harry more and more by the second. "He and Tonks said as much after they announced it to us. Told us that you're pretty much one and the same, really."

Hermione looked slightly embarrassed, but Harry's sheepishness had lessened considerably. "Yeah," he said, almost defiantly, "yeah, we are."

"Wonderful." She smirked. "Just what I needed as Teddy's role models. The Marauders all over again. Just don't take him on any adventures, okay? I don't want him trying to vanquish dark wizards until he's out of school."

"We won't," Hermione replied, still quite red.

The group talked over Teddy's crib for some time ("I expect to see him as an Auror trainee in seventeen years, Andromeda," Kingsley boomed in his deep, rich voice, "and I'm already busy making sure that I'll be the one to personally train him."), and even Hagrid made his way back in the house, beard still wet with tears. She found that Remus had been right – the two teens really did seem more like extensions of each other rather than separate people. Their hands grazed each other smoothly and without any awkwardness, and they spoke so fluently together that they quite nearly finished each other's sentences (and actually did in several instances). She was now quite interested to see this Ron boy, who Remus had said many times reminded him of James and Sirius all stirred up together.

However, as everyone else seemed to get more comfortable as the discussion went along, the opposite seemed to be the case with Harry. He began to get noticeably uneasy – she saw Hermione glance at him concernedly several times, but the conversation went on, and no one else seemed to notice that Harry was talking less and less. Finally, she said that she would go get some food for everyone and asked for Harry's assistance.

"Is something wrong?" she asked as she led him to the pantry.

"No."

"You're a terrible liar. I can already tell that." She waved her wand and drew out some crackers and cheese. "Tell me."

"There's nothing wrong," he said, just as unconvincingly.

She set the food down on the table and it began setting itself up on several plates that she'd brought over from the cupboard. "Don't lie to me, Harry. I'm not a particularly accomplished Legilimens, but Remus told me that you're a positively awful Occlumens. Don't think that I won't try it."

"Fine." He sighed and absently tried to straighten his hair to little avail. "It's just... Remus came by once, after Tonks got pregnant and before Ron and Hermione and I set out to fight Voldemort. He offered to come along with us, and finally he admitted that Tonks was pregnant. I… I kind of got angry that he wanted to just abandon his kid and come adventuring with us, and he started yelling about why his kid would be better off without him and how marrying Tonks had been a mistake."

"I see." Perhaps she shouldn't have pressed him. Remus had briefly brought up this incident once, but she had the feeling he and Nymphadora had sorted it out themselves. "And?"

"He said that he shouldn't have married Tonks, and that he'd made her an outcast, and the baby would be an outcast." Harry swallowed. "It's just… he said that even her family was disgusted by their marriage."

He said no more, and he didn't need to. Andromeda regarded him for several seconds before speaking, slowly and deliberately. "I will not deny that I was not particularly thrilled over Nymphadora's choice to marry Remus, but while I'm ashamed to say some of that disappointment was old prejudice, part of it I hope you can understand. I was worried for the child, and for Nymphadora's own safety. Lycanthropy is still a mystery to most of us, Harry, and people are scared by things they don't understand. We were too."

She flicked her wand and the crackers stopped sorting themselves.

"You should know, Harry, that Ted and I got over our initial apprehension. Remus became close to us after their marriage. You don't need to worry about that."

He did not say anything for several seconds. "Good," he finally stated. "I just wanted to make sure. I mean, Remus – I know he was a bit scared about everything, and I just wanted to know that…"

He trailed off, but she knew what he meant and placed a comforting hand on his shoulder.

"Don't worry," she said. "We loved Remus as you did. We couldn't have asked for a better son-in-law."

"Good. I just needed to know." He looked at the food. "That's all, then. Sorry for bothering you about it."

"It's no problem." Andromeda smiled. "I can see why Remus and Dora were so insistent that you be the godfather."

Harry appeared bemused by this, but she looked away from him and towards the rest of the guests. "We've got crackers and cheese over here, if you'd like them. There's some butterbeer, as well, and some elfin wine if you'd like some. It's not much, but it's a decent snack."

There were several murmurs of approval from everyone as they made their way from Teddy's crib to the countertop. Andromeda surveyed the group as they ate and joked and laughed (even McGonagall, who for the most part was humorless), and she couldn't help but feel a surge of pride that it was her daughter and her son-in-law that had brought these people together, that it was her grandson that they were here to see, and for one of the first times since the funeral, she felt genuinely content.

-

Two days after the group's visit, Andromeda was sorting out her mail when Teddy let out a cry and she hurried to get him a bottle of milk. The baby pacified, she returned to said mail, which was rather large in quantity. There was a letter from Harry, asking if he could bring along some of the Weasleys to see Teddy (which she had of course consented to), a letter from Molly Weasley herself that had deeply affected her – she did not know Molly particularly well, but she knew that Molly herself had lost a child during this war and two brothers during the last one, and Andromeda had appreciated the gesture immensely. She put off replying to Molly's letter until later (perhaps it would be better to reply in person when the Weasleys visited) and was just beginning to read a letter from Augusta Longbottom when there was a quick knock at the door. She set down the letter and went to answer it, and was slightly surprised by who was knocking.

"Hello, Andy," Narcissa said stonily. "May I come in?"

"Oh – of course." She backed away to allow Narcissa entrance, and she could feel her sister looking about the house, appraising it warily. "I'd forgotten that you were coming."

"I'm sorry for the lack of warning. I should have owled you." She coughed. "You have a nice house."

Andromeda knew that she was probably lying, but she also knew that she was trying to be kind. "Thank you. It's not much, but it does the job for us."

Narcissa's eyes drifted around the room, finally settling on the crib. Her expression softened slightly.

"That's him, then? Teddy?"

"Yes," she answered. Narcissa's demeanor had changed noticeably – she no longer seemed so uptight and formal. "He likes being out here. He always cries when I leave him in my room for even a second or two."

"He cries a lot?"

"No, hardly any. That's one of the few times."

Narcissa was silent, and she took a few steps towards the crib as if testing the water with her foot, so to speak. "He's a good-looking boy."

"Thank you." Andromeda smirked. "That's from his grandmother's side of the family."

Narcissa actually smiled a true smile, and not a smirk or a sneer. But as quickly as it came, it was gone. "Does he change? Like his mother?"

"Yes."

"And his father…"

"No. There have been several full moons, and he hasn't changed a bit."

"I see. That's good."

"It does make things a little less complicated, yes."

They stood together for a while, neither sure what to say. Finally Andromeda attempted some sort of conversation. "And what of your family, Narcissa? Will the Ministry be investigating after everything that's happened?"

"Of course," replied her sister, her expression souring considerably. "We've become a popular subject at the Ministry, apparently."

"Oh." Andromeda stared at the sofa stonily. "Will things be all right?"

"Oh, I think so, yes. There will probably be some fines, but we've got plenty of money to pay those off."

Her eyes traveled from the sofa to Narcissa swiftly. "Er… I hope you don't mind me saying, but doesn't that seem a bit light? I mean, you _were_ involved with the Dark Lord… how do you know you won't have to go to Azkaban?"

"Lucius already has served time in Azkaban," Narcissa commented briskly. Her eyes seemed to flash for a moment, and the hint of a smile curved at her lips. "And besides, we have some significant backing on our side. I… assisted Harry Potter at a crucial point during the last battle. I think he has tried to repay the favor by asking the ministry to go easy on us. I think it also helps that we didn't actively participate in the battle, also."

"Oh. That's good."

"Yes," Narcissa said. "Yes, it is."

There was a pregnant pause. Andromeda could tell that Narcissa wanted to say something – she looked uneasy, sickly even, and Narcissa rarely looked uncomfortable, if ever. Andromeda was beginning to think that she would say nothing at all when she opened her mouth and spoke quite suddenly.

"Andromeda, the family has been discussing our situation in light of what's happened." She took a deep breath but continued before Andromeda could interject. "You've lost family – we've _both_ lost family – and we were thinking perhaps it would be better, for both parties involved, if, perhaps, you were to move in with us. It wouldn't have to be permanent, but you could use help raising your grandson…" She trailed off and blinked away what might've been a tear. "And I… Bella is gone, Andy. I… we've never been close, but I don't want to lose another sister."

Andromeda was a bit dumbstruck by this. Narcissa had never been one to show so much blatant emotion, but when she thought about it the rare instances when she had had always been related to family, whether it had been their mother or Lucius or Draco… It seemed strange to think that, after all of this, they _were_ still sisters. With Ted and Dora and Remus gone… with Bellatrix gone, even… she couldn't afford to lose someone else. She knew this.

So she shook her head.

"No," she answered simply. "I don't think that's for the best. We'd argue, we'd fight. I do care about you all, but I've never agreed with your attitudes, and I don't think it will help to have to deal with all of that right after the war. So while I appreciate the offer, I have to decline."

Narcissa stared at her with a combination of disbelief and hurt, but this quickly changed as she regained her stiff persona once more. "Very well," she said coldly, "I see where your heart is. I am glad you have declined, actually, it really would –"

"But I would like to see you more," Andromeda interrupted, just as she had only a few days before. Narcissa actually stopped her diatribe, unlike all of those times they'd had arguments as kids when she'd just keep going on and on until Andromeda was forced to give up. "I don't think living together is the best option, but I do want to see you. I need to see you, really. After everything… well, we _are_ sisters, aren't we? This is how it's supposed to be, right?"

If the look on Narcissa's face the first time had been confused, this time it could only be described as flabbergasted. She stuttered for several seconds before finally getting out a complete sentence.

"Yes – yes, you're right," she said with none of the usual Malfoy smoothness. "We are sisters, yes. I think that's an acceptable proposition. I think – I think – tea, perhaps? Tomorrow? At our manor?"

"Yes," Andromeda replied, smiling, "yes, I'd like that."

"Very good." She straightened out her robes, as if trying to regain her dignity. "I'll Floo by, then – the place is under all sorts of enchantments at the moment, I'll have to take you in myself. I'll be here around two. Bring Teddy. We'd like to see him."

As much as Andromeda doubted that Lucius would like to see a half-blooded Metamorphmagus baby whose father had been a werewolf, she nodded. "I will."

"Good." She nodded curtly. "I'll see you tomorrow."

"Goodbye."

Narcissa gave her one last glance before turning and walking out the door and out onto the front lawn. She passed the last of the wards and Disapparated with a crack. Andromeda turned back to the mail and sighed.

That had been most unexpected, although not unwelcome. Narcissa was right. They needed each other. She needed _someone_.

It was then, standing there in the kitchen with a bundle of mail in one hand and a bottle in the other, that she realized that she did have someone, that she had plenty of someones, really. She had Harry, who she had already grown very fond of, and she had Narcissa, and she had Molly Weasley and Hermione Granger and everyone else she could think of, everyone that had been affected by Dora and Remus at some point in their life. She had help. She could do this. She could keep dealing from day to day until she finally found someway to put her life back together again, and she knew she'd have help with the latter, too, even if she never asked for it.

Smiling, she picked up Augusta Longbottom's letter and took a seat at the counter next to the crib. Teddy giggled, and she jutted her head over the top of the crib and made a face at him, which only induced more giggling. Before she knew it she was laughing as well, and Teddy was clapping and hiccupping and they were both being quite ridiculous, but she didn't care. They were happy, the both of them. They could do this.

"How about that, Teddy? You want to go over to Aunt Narcissa's tomorrow afternoon?" Teddy clapped again, and Andromeda grinned. "Yeah, me too. It'll be nice to get out of the house for once. And we'll have to ask Harry when he'll be bringing the Weasleys over here. I think you'll like them. I've heard good things about them."

She peered into the cribs. Teddy had changed his eyes again, apparently, although this time he seemed to have been a bit indecisive – one eye was Dora's, one was Remus's. She stuck out her tongue at him and he let out a loud, shout-like laugh.

"What do you think? Are we going to be okay, Teddy?" He clapped again, just as he had with the last question, and Andromeda nodded as she stared back into his eyes, those eyes she knew so well. "Yeah, Teddy. I think we will be, too."


End file.
